Italian police pursue paedophiles online

Police in Italy have used sophisticated computer software to track down almost fifteen-hundred suspected users of child pornography videos across the world.

The material was supplied through the Internet by an international paedophile ring based in Russia.

The Italian police have filed criminal charges against more than eight-hundred suspects within Italy and are trying to trace the rest in countries including Britain, Switzerland and the United States.

Those accused risk detention on international arrest warrants if they try to leave their home countries.

A task force of four-hundred computer experts, including some hackers, is monitoring the Internet to identify people ordering paedophile material online. They've been using advanced technology to bombard websites offering child pornography with viruses.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service